Implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC), creation of an Anti-Radicalisation Cell to identify and eliminate potential threats and sleeper cells of terrorist organisations and anti-India forces, and a new law for Recovery of Damages of Public and Private Properties by anti-social elements during riots, violent protests and unrest are some of the promises in the BJP’s manifesto for Gujarat.
Released on Saturday, it has promised to make the state a $1 trillion economy and to provide girls with free education.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and BJP president J.P. Nadda released the party’s manifesto, called the Sankalp Patra.
Gujarat will have elections in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will take place on December 8, along with that of Himachal Pradesh.
The BJP’s Gujarat manifesto also promised free education for girls from pre-primary to post-graduate level, free electric scooter and other sops like creating 20 lakh jobs in the government and providing health insurance cover of ₹10 lakh.
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Gujarat is the fourth State so far where the ruling party has talked of implementing UCC either before the election or in the run-up to the polls. Earlier, Uttarakhand, Assam, and Karnataka also raised the issue of UCC, with Uttarakhand and Gujarat setting up a committee for it.
For the energy and agriculture sector, the party is promising ₹80,000-crore Shyamji Krishna Varma Renewable Energy Mission, expansion of Gujarat’s irrigation network at a cost of ₹25,000 crore, and creation of Gujarat Agriculture Infrastructure Cell with an investment of ₹10,000 crore for next five years.
A contest of sops
To counter the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, the ruling party has also announced that it will provide two free gas cylinders per year to the beneficiaries of the Ujjwala scheme, besides free bus tickets to women above 60 years.
Before the BJP, both AAP and the Congress had made a slew of populist sops such as free electricity, cheaper cooking gas, and allowance to all families.
AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has promised to bring the ‘Delhi Model’ to Gujarat, while the Congress has promised to bring the same set of schemes and welfare measures its government in Rajasthan is implementing in the neighbouring State.
The Congress has promised 10 lakh jobs in government and semi-government departments, free medical treatment of up to ₹10 lakh, LPG cylinder at ₹500, 300 units of free electricity every month, unemployment allowance of ₹3,000 per month, ₹2,000 as pension to divyangs, widows, senior citizens and needy women, and waiver of loans of up to ₹3 lakh of all farmers and fishermen.
The AAP has also promised free water to farmers, ₹3,000 unemployment allowance, and waiver of electricity bills.
